And yet all the Japanese here complain that their music is too girly and "annoying" (presumably its pop sound, although no two songs sound alike, really.) It further cements my "nerd" theory for most Japanese students that go to American universities. :) (Far too long to explain in a comment, heh.)

I don't know if I'd say their popularity is declining all that much, though. They still sell out anywhere and everywhere they tour, and they still make a ton of money off merchandising - they just seem to be the first example of file sharing killing a group's album sales, because no one seems willing to pay for their music anymore. :)